Coding Education in Residency and in Practice Improves Accuracy of Coding in Orthopedic Surgery

Area of Science:

• Medical education
• Healthcare administration
• Orthopedic surgery

Background:

• Orthopedic residency training aims for comprehensive surgical proficiency.
• Current orthopedic training often lacks adequate medical coding education.
• Medical coding is crucial for accurate billing and practice management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the medical coding accuracy of orthopedic residents versus practicing surgeons.
• To assess the impact of coding education on the accuracy of orthopedic coding.
• To identify specific areas of weakness in resident medical coding.

Main Methods:

• A mock coding survey with common orthopedic scenarios was developed.
• The survey was administered to orthopedic residents (PGY 1-6) and attending surgeons.
• Responses were analyzed based on experience level and coding education history.

Main Results:

• Practicing surgeons demonstrated significantly higher coding accuracy (72.8%) than senior (51.0%) and junior (47.4%) residents.
• Residents performed poorly across all coding categories: visit type, modifiers, Evaluation and Management (E/M), and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT).
• Any form of coding education was associated with significantly improved coding scores for residents.

Conclusions:

• Orthopedic residents exhibit significant deficiencies in medical coding for common procedures and encounters.
• Coding education is positively correlated with improved accuracy in orthopedic medical coding.
• Integrating comprehensive coding education into orthopedic residency is recommended.